Ink ball printing machine

Abstract

An ink ball printing machine has a slide 45 movable back and forth on a base plate 1 by a drive 25. The slide includes a U-shaped support 8, which is built like a box and made of sheet metal. A printing apparatus 37 and an inking system 18, which can be moved with the slide, are attached to two legs 9, 10 which project beyond the machine housing 2 and belong to the support. The sheet metal support enables a very inexpensive and yet stable fabrication of the ink ball printing machine.

I claim: 
     
       1. An ink ball printing machine, comprising: a) a stationary machine housing (2),   b) a horizontally movable slide member (45) partially disposed within the housing and having a horizontal upper leg (10) extending outwardly through a wall of the housing,   c) an ink block (23) disposed exteriorly of the housing, proximate thereto, and below said upper leg,   d) an inking system (18) coupled to and movable with the slide member for applying ink to the block,   e) a vertically movable printing cushion (39) mounted to an outer end of said upper leg, and   f) drive means (25) for moving the slide member back and forth between a first position whereat the cushion is disposed above the block, and a second position whereat the cushion is disposed above an object (3) to be printed,   g) wherein: 1) the slide member is rigid and unitary, has the shape of a U, with upper and lower horizontal legs (10, 9) arranged one above the other and individually fixed to a vertical support member (11),   2) the inking system is attached to the lower leg, and   3) the upper and lower legs are each made of two channel members (8a, 8b) rigidly connected together, and defining box beams.     
     
     
       2. An ink ball printing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the machine housing is attached to a base plate (1), and the slide member can be moved back and forth on the base plate. 
     
     
       3. An ink ball printing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the machine housing is made of sheet metal. 
     
     
       4. An ink ball printing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein the slide member is made of sheet metal. 
     
     
       5. An ink ball printing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive means engages a bottom end of the slide member within the housing.